Hottest June on record in France as heatwave deaths rise to alarming levels

The average temperatures on June ۲۴ and ۲۵ this year were the highest ever recorded in the country.

France had its hottest June since records began in ۱۹۴۷ as a deadly heatwave pushes temperatures above ۴۰C in many areas, according to its weather service.

“Unprecedented temperatures, both day and night, affected more than a third of the country” during the heatwave from June ۱۷ to ۳۰ June, Meteo-France said on Friday.

“During this historic episode, temperatures of ۴۰C were exceeded at least once over more than ۴۰ percent of the country,” it said, adding that the country experienced an average temperature of ۲۲.۷C, ۳.۸C above seasonal norms for ۱۹۹۱ to ۲۰۲۰.

The average temperatures on June ۲۴ and ۲۵ this year were the highest ever recorded in France, all months combined.

The June heatwave also broke temperature records in other parts of Europe.

The second record heatwave in France this year has led to higher death rates, as schools were closed and festivals cancelled.

Public Health France, the country’s public health authority, said deaths surged by ۲۹ percent during the hottest week last month, with at least ۲,۰۰۰ more deaths reported than the previous week as rising temperatures filled hospitals with victims.

The new and still incomplete figures from Public Health France doubled its first preliminary estimate of at least ۱,۰۰۰ additional deaths that it gave on Sunday. That earlier estimate covered just three of the hottest days of extreme heat.

The updated tally of deaths from Public Health France spans the week of June ۲۲ to June ۲۸ , during which France saw its hottest-ever days and records shattered for peak daytime and nighttime temperatures in many cities and towns across the country.

The agency said it has counted ۸,۹۷۳ deaths so far for that week, cautioning that the number was still only a partial count. The preliminary total was ۲۹ percent higher than the ۶,۹۴۸ deaths registered for the previous week of June ۱۵ to June ۲۱ , when the heatwave started.

The difference between the two sets of figures – ۲,۰۲۵ so far – is considered to be additional deaths from one week to the next, from all causes and covering all age groups, it said.

Hospitals overwhelmed

In the capital Paris, funeral service directors said they were struggling to find places to store bodies before burial or cremation, with some mortuaries saying they were full and forced to turn some away.

Patients suffering from heat exposure began arriving in a surge at Paris-Saclay Hospital on June ۲۰ , emergency department head Dr Nicolas Gonzales told The Associated Press news agency.

He said they treated heat victims for heart attacks, dehydration, kidney malfunctions and other heat-related problems, ranging from children to older people living alone.

Public Health France said there was a particularly sharp increase week-on-week in the number of deaths in private homes, – up by ۹۱ percent. Deaths in care homes for the elderly increased by ۳۷ percent and in hospitals by nearly ۲۰ percent.

The Paris region appears to have been hit hardest, with a ۶۳ percent increase in deaths from one week to the next, it said.

The health agency cautioned that its figures underestimate the true toll because they are based on incomplete data. “The mortality will as a consequence be higher than these first figures,” it said.